Physical hunger is only one reason we eat. Sometimes we eat out of boredom or everyone else around us is eating. Eating that is triggered by social cues is called appetite. Appetite generally is eating for reasons that are outside of your physical need for food. Physical hunger comes from your internal, biological need for energy.
Many of the social cues to eat are learned during childhood and stay with us for the rest of our lives. Certain events can trigger us to want to eat certain foods such as a holiday party triggering us to eat our favorite holiday desserts. Most people view eating as a social activity so we like to eat when everyone else is eating. In these situations most of us ignore our physical hunger --and fullness--cues.
During such events the hunger scale is a good tool to use to keep from overeating. Check in with yourself frequently and determine how hungry you are. Try to pace yourself during the event. Choose your favorite foods but avoid becoming painfully stuffed. This can be done by eating slowly and keeping track of how much you eat. If you feel you want to eat everything, ask the host to make up a plate of the things you can do without on the day of the party, and eat them the next day.
